Lord knows what we as a country did to deserve Joe Ingles, but thank fuck we did it.
The rag-tag, knockabout, rough-and-tumble shooting forward for the Utah Jazz had a banner day today in Game 2 of Utah’s second round NBA Playoff matchup against the Houston Rockets.
Ingles sunk a team-high 27 points, shooting absolutely lights-out from beyond 3, to help a doggedly defensive Jazz outfit rally past the highly-fancied Rockets 116-108, levelling the playoff series at 1-1 and scoring an all-important road win in the process.
The boy from Happy Valley was on bloody fire all game long, drilling 7 of 9 from 3-point land, sinking long-range shots harder than an ice-cold Farmer’s Union on a scorching South Australian day.
🎥| Let’s give it up to Joe for a career night!
27p | 7 3pm | 3r | 2a#TakeNote https://t.co/xyGKAVVGOV
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) May 3, 2018
That’s not only a career postseason high for Joe on an individual level, that’s a Jazz franchise record for most threes made in a postseason game ever.
https://twitter.com/UtahJazzPR/status/991875046971854849
Ingles also put his practically trademark level of lip on full display, at one point inviting James Harden into the Utah huddle. Why? Because he’s Joe Fucking Ingles.
Classic Aussie banter. Joe Ingles shot the lights out in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semi Final but still had time to invite James Harden to the Jazz huddle! pic.twitter.com/jP6HNlwIuO
— TAB (@tabcomau) May 3, 2018
Twitter, who have already gotten squarely around the absolute lad this playoff series, was again awash with theories about how Ingles looks less like a professional basketball player, and more like a guy rewinding tapes at a Blockbuster in 1999.
Joe Ingles is that forgettable college friend you like but never see anymore because he got a job at Delloite and has to travel to Dallas 3 weeks a month pic.twitter.com/F58bIsWZ31
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) May 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/SheaSerrano/status/991867285357948928
https://twitter.com/ericvdunn/status/988625481447682053
https://twitter.com/LanceFresh/status/988650727580098560
I feel like people won’t believe Joe Ingles is good no matter how good he is because he doesn’t look like he should be good.
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) May 3, 2018
Joe Ingles 7-9 from three tonight pic.twitter.com/v3bwMqshUs
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) May 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/DamianTrillard/status/988640059371933696
Someone should guard Joe Ingles in game three. He’s the Australian white guy who looks like an accountant.
— Ross Bolen (@WRBolen) May 3, 2018
Joe Ingles and Dante Exum drilling threes and throwing down huge dunks to knock off the Rockets pic.twitter.com/UzVXqxl5I3
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) May 3, 2018
I hope Joe Ingles gets Woody Harrelson’s role in the White Men Can’t Jump remake
— Master (@MasterTes) May 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/Devroll14me/status/991873631784460289
https://twitter.com/dbbm52/status/991867230425149442
‘Course Jingles wasn’t the only Australian Jazzman making noise tonight. Young Dante Exum put the exclamation mark on Utah’s win with a monstrous fourth quarter dunk that sucked what little air was left completely out of the Toyota Centre.
.@daanteee SEALS IT! 🔨#NBAPlayoffs | #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/IHAjbcQHKh
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 3, 2018
Prior to the series, numerous experts predicted a textbook, wholesale sweep for the Rockets, with few predicting the Jazz could take even a single game off the talented Houston side.
Now, the Texas lads are putting their brooms away in just Game 2. Because they got straight-up Jingled.
Joe Ingles from Adelaide, South Australia, ladies and gentlemen.
